Why indexing and archiving matter
Scholarly publishing is not complete when an article goes online. For research to influence practice and future science, it must be discoverable (so the right readers can find it), citable (so others can reference it precisely), and durable (so it remains accessible and verifiable long after publication). Indexing and archiving are the two pillars that support these outcomes.
Indexing improves visibility in library systems, discovery services, and scholarly tools—helping researchers and clinicians locate your work during literature searches. Archiving and preservation focus on reliability over time: they help ensure that the scholarly record remains stable, even as websites, platforms, and technologies change.
What this means for authors
Strong indexing and preservation practices can increase readership, citation potential, and confidence in your work—because the article stays accessible, traceable, and linked to a stable DOI record.
Indexing and discoverability pathways for AAAI content
AAAI is listed across a broad set of discoverability pathways that include library discovery layers, catalog systems, and scholarly aggregation tools. On the journal’s legacy “Indexing” page, AAAI is shown as discoverable through a large network of university library systems and search platforms, as well as scholarly services and directories. These pathways are not all “traditional abstracting & indexing databases,” but they do materially increase findability for readers who search via institutional libraries.
How readers actually find AAAI articles
In practice, readers often locate articles through one of the following routes:
- Library search portals: university catalog and discovery systems that unify journal and article searching across publisher platforms.
- Global catalogs and aggregators: systems that consolidate records across libraries and publishers, enabling cross-library discovery.
- Scholarly infrastructure tools: services that connect articles to persistent identifiers (DOIs), citation metadata, or researcher workflows.
- Search engines and indexing bots: tools that rely on clean metadata and stable URLs to interpret article pages accurately.
Indexing and discovery listings shown on the legacy site
The legacy indexing list for AAAI includes examples from:
| University library discovery systems | AAAI is shown as discoverable via multiple university library systems (examples include Ball State University Library, Duke University Libraries, Penn State University Libraries, Georgetown University Library, Washington State University Library, Princeton University, Harvard University, and many others listed on the legacy page). |
|---|---|
| Global catalogs / library networks | The legacy page lists global discovery tools such as WorldCat, which helps readers locate journal/article records across library networks. |
| Scholarly services and directories | The legacy page includes services such as Crossref search, Publons, OpenAIRE, Scilit, and Index Copernicus (ICV). These services generally support discovery, metadata visibility, reviewer recognition workflows, or research aggregation depending on the platform. |
Important clarification about “indexing”
Different services use the word “indexing” differently. Some are formal bibliographic databases; others are library discovery layers or scholarly tools. AAAI is transparent about where it is listed on the journal’s legacy indexing page, and the journal continues to improve structured metadata and discoverability to support accurate indexing outcomes.
Metadata standards AAAI uses to support indexing
Indexing quality depends heavily on metadata quality. “Metadata” is the structured information that tells systems what the article is, who wrote it, how to cite it, and where it belongs. AAAI supports indexing readiness by using clear article pages with consistent citation elements and persistent identifiers.
Persistent identifiers: DOIs
AAAI articles include DOIs (Digital Object Identifiers) to provide stable, persistent citation links that remain valid over time even if the website structure changes. Article pages on the legacy site show an explicit “DOI” field, along with publication dates and citation format, helping authors and readers cite consistently.
Why DOIs matter
DOIs help prevent link rot, improve citation accuracy, and support machine-driven linking across scholarly tools. They also make it easier for libraries and discovery services to match citations to the correct article record.
Best-practice metadata elements (what AAAI aims to provide consistently)
- Title and subtitle clarity: readable, searchable titles that reflect the study’s core question.
- Author names and affiliations: consistent spelling and complete institutional information.
- Corresponding author contact: a stable contact pathway for scholarly communication.
- Abstract and keywords: structured summaries and field-standard terminology to support indexing relevance.
- Publication dates and article history: submitted/accepted/published markers where shown.
- Reference formatting: complete citations to support reliable linking and citation graph formation.
- License and reuse terms: open access licensing (CC BY 4.0) clearly shown so repositories and tools can confirm reuse permissions.
- DOI
- Crossref
- structured abstract
- keywords
- citation metadata
- open access license
- persistent identifiers
- library discovery
- indexing feeds
- OAI-PMH
Archiving, preservation, and the scholarly record
Archiving and preservation are about ensuring that published content remains accessible and unchanged in meaning (even if it must be corrected, retracted, or updated transparently). A robust archiving strategy typically combines: (1) stable platform hosting, (2) repository-friendly licensing and permissions, (3) preservation programs, and (4) clear correction/retraction workflows that keep a traceable record.
AAAI maintains an online archive experience (e.g., “Early Online,” “Current,” and “Archives” navigation on the journal site) so readers can browse content by issue and time. In addition, AAAI’s policies support responsible stewardship of the scholarly record. For example, the journal’s withdrawal policy indicates that versions of articles that have been retracted or deleted are preserved in official archives, supporting transparency and auditability.
What “preservation” looks like in real life
Preservation is most effective when it anticipates common risks: hosting changes, domain migrations, platform upgrades, or cyber incidents. For journals, a best-practice preservation plan often includes one or more third-party preservation networks (e.g., LOCKSS/CLOCKSS, Portico) and/or institutional repositories. AAAI provides separate policy pages for preservation and repository practices; this “Indexing & Archiving” page explains the underlying concepts and how authors can participate.
Where to find the detailed policies
For step-by-step, policy-level details (including how authors can deposit accepted manuscripts or final PDFs where permitted), see the dedicated menu items: Repository Policy and Preservation and Archiving Policy.
Author-friendly archiving: how authors can help
Authors can strengthen long-term access and compliance by taking a few proactive steps:
- Keep a stable author identifier: add ORCID where available to reduce name ambiguity across systems.
- Use the DOI in all sharing: when posting on personal websites or academic profiles, link to the DOI landing page (or official article URL) to preserve citation consistency.
- Deposit where permitted: if your institution requires repository deposit, follow the journal’s repository guidance and deposit the correct version with citation and license details.
- Share responsibly: avoid uploading versions that conflict with licensing or policy; use accepted routes and always include the final citation.
- Support data availability: when possible, deposit datasets and code in reputable repositories and cite them clearly in the manuscript.
Machine-readable access and OAI-PMH compatibility
Modern indexing increasingly relies on machine-readable signals: structured metadata, consistent URLs, and standardized harvesting protocols. AAAI includes a dedicated OAI-PMH menu item to support metadata harvesting workflows. OAI-PMH (Open Archives Initiative Protocol for Metadata Harvesting) is widely used by repositories and aggregators to collect metadata records and keep them synchronized.
If your library or repository team requests a harvesting endpoint, consult the AAAI OAI-PMH page, which is intended to support automated metadata access. Keeping these technical pathways documented helps reduce manual indexing delays and improves consistency across systems that ingest AAAI records.
Need technical help from the editorial office?
If a repository or library asks for a specific metadata format or endpoint, contact the editorial office with the request details and your institutional contact. The team can help confirm the correct journal URLs and compatible options.
Frequently asked questions
Is AAAI indexed in major discovery systems?
The legacy “Indexing” page lists AAAI as discoverable through a broad network of university library discovery systems and scholarly services. These listings help readers find AAAI content via institutional library searches and global discovery tools.
Does AAAI assign DOIs to articles?
AAAI article pages display DOIs as part of the citation information, which supports persistent linking and accurate referencing over time.
What is the difference between indexing and archiving?
Indexing focuses on discoverability—helping people find articles. Archiving/preservation focuses on durability—ensuring the content remains accessible and the scholarly record remains trustworthy over time.
Can I deposit my paper in an institutional repository?
Repository deposit depends on the journal’s repository policy and the version being deposited. Review the journal’s “Repository Policy” menu item for permitted versions, required citations, and recommended metadata.
What should I do if an index shows incorrect metadata for my article?
First, verify the article page citation, DOI, and author information. If an external service displays incorrect details, contact the editorial office with: the article URL, DOI, the incorrect record link, and the correct metadata. The team can advise on the best correction route (often via metadata updates and re-harvesting).
